CSI – Ground Breaking Research

As part of the WLNS News 6 Celebrating Spartans feature, they recently highlighted a science lab that feels a bit like an episode of CSI.

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Justice, researchers at Michigan State University are working directly with the Detroit Medical Examiner’s Office. They plan to study how things like fungi, bacteria, and insects offer clues when someone dies. While the research is still ongoing, scientists believe it could play a crucial role in how crime scene investigators solve homicides and other deaths.

MSU is the first university to work with a law enforcement agency, in this type of capacity. Eric Benbow is an entomologist and osteopathic medical specialist at Michigan State University and the lead investigator.